MOLD OR NOT MOLD?

Baker thinks this slug-like form is probably a body of mold that grew with ridges on it, possibly from how the pouch was shaped.

Following up, we sent the picture and some information to Humboldt State Universityâ€™s Biology Department to see if they could identify what was in the drink.

Anthony Baker, Biology Core facilities Manager, gave us a hand along with Microbiology Supervisor Andrea Yip. They conducted an experiment on Capri SunÂ evaluating a few conditions which may be favorable for mold (fungal)Â growth.Â Kraft previously confirmed that mold could grow in the preservative-free juice and identified it as Paecilomyces variotii,Â just as other indpendent tests did.Â While PaecilomycesÂ sp. are common environmental fungi, these represent only one of many possibleÂ contaminants. We wanted to see exactly how easily contamination could occur.

â€œI got involved because the general public tends to overreact [when it comes to moldy food],â€ Baker said in an interview with the Universityâ€™s student newspaper. â€œPeople forget about things like vinegar, beer and all these compounds that are generated from living organisms. Thereâ€™s a lot of things in our food you probably donâ€™t want to know are there.â€

THE EXPERIMENT

Baker used Capri Sun 100% Juice: Fruit Punch in an experiment that varied the juiceâ€™s exposure to heat and air.Â After a month, the packages were opened andÂ the juice was checked for visible cloudiness or growth. The experiment wasÂ designed to mimic what could happen to juice in compromised andÂ uncompromised packaging during transport or storage.

The results of the experiment show that most pouches punctured with a 22-guage syringe, creating a small pin hole leak and allowing air into the
packaging, grew some form of fungi after four weeks. Pouches that were alsoÂ heated to 50 degrees Celsius (122 F) , about the temperature inside a car on a
sunny day, produced larger mold forms Pouches that were not puncturedÂ produced no visible growth or “turbidity” (murkiness caused by sediment) even when heated.

The results suggest that in the presence of air, fungi will grow and higherÂ temperatures may improve growth rates. Also, it appears that a very noticeableÂ amount of growth can occur in just about a month with air exchange occurringÂ through a small hole in the packaging. A small hole could result from accidents during transport, storage, or other handling.

During the experiment, Baker cut this pouch open and let stand at room temperature for three weeks. This is what grew.

â€œEveryone was kind of like, â€˜Well, of course things are going to grow,â€™â€ said Baker. â€œNobody expected the kind of growth that we saw, and nobody expected to see variation.â€

Baker admitted the sample size was small and said he could likely reproduce the same results on most other fruit juice, not just Capri Sun.Â While he wasnâ€™t able to confirm the identity of the fungi, he did clearly observe different forms of mold.

These two pouches show different mold forms growing on the surface of the juice.

Right now,Â food allergies are on the riseÂ and so is the number of recalls that result out of concern for people who have them. We typically see these recalls stemming from incorrectly labeled packages.

RISKS AND QUESTIONS

One of the mold forms sits in a dish after being removed from the juice pouch.

Arthur Lubitz, an allergy doctor in New York City, said mold in juice is â€œpotentially dangerous in an immune-deficient patient,â€ like those who have severe allergies. Lubitz acknowledged that he wasnâ€™t aware of much disease that can result from fruit juice, but said as a general rule, food should be mold-free, especially if that mold can give off toxins. Some toxins from mold are known to be cancer-causing.Â

While the safety of consuming mold is a question for your doctor, we also have to leave you hanging when it comes to the recall side of the story.

In all of the documented instances, Kraft said the mold wasÂ related to an isolated issue with damaged packaging and not to a system-wide or lot-wide issue that they could announce a recall for.Â Our small experiment conducted at Humboldt StateÂ University seems to support that. None of the unopened packages grew mold;Â only ones that were exposed to air. Consumers repeatedly ask Kraft for clearÂ pouches so they can see globs of mold before drinking the juice, but exposure toÂ light could ruin the preservative-free juice.

Still concerned about your juice? Try taking a few moments to shake your Capri Sun pouch gently and letting the contents settle. You might be able to see any foreign contents through the small hole where you put your straw. If you do find anything, check the entire box for damage.

Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments or by shooting us an email to info@consumerbell.com.